The six matau in this group are on average longer than other examples in the collection, and are all made from a different shell material, namely the red fan shell (Pinna). The iridescent colour of this shell ranges from (rare) whitish glossy to (more frequent) matt reddish-dark brown. In some of the examples, the curves from the shank to the hook are U-shaped, and in others they are circular. The shanks in particular have cross-sections of varying widths. All the examples have a support at the upper edge of the shank, where the line, a cord of twisted plant fibres, was attached.

The use of these matau was the same as for those described above. Fish-hooks of this type of material were specifically illustrated and described in Parkinson (1773: 75 and 77, PI. 13, Nos. 20, 21, 24). Gundolf Krüger

Sources

Parkinson, Sydney, A Journal of a Voyage to the South Seas in his Majesty’s Ship, the Endeavour, London, 1773.